Conventional systems exist for collecting user feedback and/or for improving software performance or functionality. Such systems have the potential to provide a wide collection of benefits to users and providers of software. For example, software users benefit from improved performance, ease of use, or increased functionality of a given software application. Employers who provide software in the workplace benefit from improved software and/or reduced software downtime, inasmuch as productivity may be increased for users of the software (as well as for information technology (IT) support staff). As a final example, a software producer may experience increased profitability when consumers are satisfied with software products and/or support for those products.
In providing feedback, some software systems automatically generate error messages in response to a software malfunction, where the messages may be sent to the software producer. Somewhat similarly, some software systems generate periodic messages (e.g., error messages or quality of service messages) for transmission to the software producer or other support personnel. In this way, the software producer may either respond to the error message directly, or simply compile the error message(s) for use in future improvements or upgrades of the software. Other systems invite structured and/or unstructured feedback from end users, and the feedback is evaluated by software support personnel.
In addition, various forums exist for discussion of topics, including software support forums. For example, users of a particular software application may subscribe to, or participate in, an Internet discussion forum, bulletin board, newsgroup, chat room, or other messaging techniques for communicating with other users. In such environments, for example, a user having a particular problem or issue with a software application may search a discussion forum for a user with a similar problem, or may post a question to the forum in the hopes that someone knowledgeable will see the question and respond.